Scott Hallenbeck: The Rise of Flag Football and USA Football’s Plans for LA28

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Flag football being named to the 2028 Olympic program earlier this year completed an impressive rise for the sport. Having the sport in the Los Angeles Games is a massive win for the NFL in broadening its global reach. On the IOC’s part, having the NFL promoting the Olympics does the same in expanding its reach and marketing to fans of a sport who may have never bothered with the Games in the past. And having gender equality in flag football is a big reason why the IOC was open to the idea of the sport being on the program; more than half a dozen states have sanctioned girls’ flag football as a varsity sport. We talked with USA Football Chief Executive Officer and President Scott Hallenbeck about the sport’s inclusion into the Olympics, its rise among girls and female participants, and much more about the sport’s global reach.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• When USA Football found out that flag football was going to be part of the LA28 program (1:57)
• The impact of the National Football League in helping aid in the sport’s inclusion into LA28 (2:58)
• The key part that gender equity and girls flag football played in becoming part of the Olympics (5:00)
• Having LA28, the IOC and sponsors see the sport in action at the 2022 World Games (7:35)
• The rise of flag football over the past few years and the explosive growth in high school and collegiate levels (9:18)
• Using flag football to develop the sport’s global growth (11:18)
• How the high school girls flag football scene has developed in the months since the LA28 announcement (13:16)
• Using flag football to get youths involved in the sport when parents may not want them to play tackle football (14:30)
• Keeping flag football on the Olympic program beyond LA28 (17:25)

This episode is sponsored by: